1. Technical Field
The field of the invention is athletic training equipment and the like for games such as tennis.
2. Background Discussion
Competitive games such as tennis, ping pong and badminton employ a net separating two players who propel an elastic projectile back and forth over the net within a bounded area. Enjoyment of such a game is dependent upon the compatibility of the skills of the two opposing players. Accordingly, one of the biggest problems a player faces in arranging such a game is to find another player whose skill level is near his own. A tennis player of intermediate skill can rapidly improve by playing against a tennis player of advanced skill. Unfortunately, the greater the difference between the skill levels of the two players, the more often play is interrupted by the lesser skilled player hitting the ball into the net. The more frequently this happens, the more time is spent retrieving the ball instead of playing the game, until a point is reached at which the two players are simply incompatible.
If it were somehow possible to prevent a ball hit by the less experienced player from hitting the net, then he could play against an advanced player and play more tennis during a given amount of time, instead of retrieving the ball. This would revolutionize the game by making more players compatible and affording less experienced players opportunities to improve by playing against advanced players. It would also improve the process of teaching the game by permitting the teacher or expert to interact with the student in a game setting without losing time in retrieving balls hit to the net by the student. However, the mere presence of the net would seem to rule out such a scenario. It is the purpose of the present invention to overcome this limitation in spite of the presence of the net. The invention provides greater compatibility between players of different skill levels by preventing the ball from being hit into the net by the less skilled player without requiring any alteration of the net or the use of any heavy or unportable equipment.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for compensating for differences between the skills of two opposing players in a tennis game or the like.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus which compensates for differences between the skill levels of two opposing players in a tennis game or the like by preventing any balls hit by the lesser skilled player from hitting the net and instead causing the ball to pass over the net so that, at least in many instances, the other player can keep the ball in play.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus which is foldably collapsable, lightweight and readily portable for causing a ball otherwise hit toward the net to instead sail over the net so that the ball has a better chance of remaining in play in a tennis game or the like.
It is still further object of the invention to provide such a foldably collapsable apparatus which is quickly and easily unfolded with the exertion of very little force.
Other objects and benefits of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows hereinafter when taken in conjunction with the drawing figures which accompany it.